Play Cryptogram Puzzles

Cryptogram puzzles are a fun word puzzle where you must crack a code to decipher a piece of text from the cipher text to plain text, or answer.

Cryptogram puzzles on this site predominantly take the form of quotations that are encoded, and you must then work out how to crack the code. All the cryptograms on our site use a simple substitution algorithm such that each letter of the alphabet is swapped for another letter.

For instance, the letter 'S' in the plaintext may be replaced with the letter 'Q' in the code. Every instance of 'S' will therefore appear as 'Q' in the code. So to solve the puzzle, you must work out which letter in the plaintext is represented by each other letter in the cipher text.

Of course, some cryptograms will use more letters than others. Typically the smaller the puzzle, the harder it will be to solve, although this isn't always the case.

In terms of tactics to help solve cryptogram puzzles, the main thing you can do is use your knowledge of English to help you. For instance, the most common letters in English are E, T, A in that order - so the letter you see appearing the most in the cryptogram text is almost certainly going to be one of those three.

In addition to this there are lots of other things you will know about English, such as letter / vowel patterns, and other simple things such as that a letter on its own is almost certainly the letter 'A' or the letter 'I'. And as soon as you place some letters, you will be able to use your knowledge of words that fit the particular pattern of knowns and blanks you have to help whittle down the options for the other letters in the cryptogram puzzle.

Ultimately cryptogram puzzles are a type that can be very satisfying to work away at and solve, and if at first you find them difficult or even intimidating, it is definitely worth sticking with them as they also get easier once you get into the swing of things!